Field of the Invention
Our invention relates to storage container systems. More specifically, our invention relates to storage container systems that include a plurality of containers and lids, with the lids being capable of sealing the containers, and with sealed containers being stackable in compact arrangements.
Related Art
Plastic storage container systems have a wide variety of uses around a home. For example, plastic containers are often used to store food in a refrigerator or a cupboard. Plastic containers may also be used to store other things around the house, for example, small items in closets or tools in garages. In order to take up as little room as possible, container systems are often configured such that the sealed containers can stack on top of each other. In particular, the lids for the containers sometimes have special shapes or structures that enable the lids to be locked to the bottom of another container, thereby providing two containers locked together in a stacked arrangement. Further, the containers and/or lids of plastic container systems are also often configured to nest into each other when the containers are not sealed with lids and when the containers are not filled with items. This decreases the space that is required to store the containers and lids when they are not in use.
While container systems have been made to stack and/or to nest, most such container systems do not provide a plurality of different sized containers that can be stacked or nested together in a convenient and compact arrangements. Additionally, the locking arrangement between containers and lids in some stacking container systems can make it difficult to assemble or to disassemble the system in the stacked arrangement. This problem may be particularly acute when it is desired to remove just one of a plurality of stacked containers from a confined space such as a refrigerator. For example, if the top container of a stack is locked to the lid of another container below that top container, it can be difficult to disengage the top container from the stack when the stack is in a confined space.
With respect to the lids of the containers, it is often important that the lids create a tight seal against the containers so as to prevent, as much as possible, air from entering the containers. At the same time, it is also important that a user can easily form the seal with the lids, otherwise the user may inadvertently not fully seal the container, and the contents of the containers may spoil or be spilled. Thus, many different configurations of lids have been developed for sealing against plastic containers. Nevertheless, it is still relatively difficult for a user to effectively seal the lids against containers in many systems.